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Message: [QUOTE="TheCusian, post: 1156835, member: 2585"] I don't know if they just got all "journo-giddy" over there after a "fun" week for them - but [URL='http://www.syracuse.com/orangefootball/index.ssf/2014/10/new_syracuse_offensive_coordinator_tim_lester_faces_uphill_battle_due_to_lack_of.html#incart_river']this is the worst article[/URL] I've read in a long time. It kind of jumps the shark while missing the point. If you don't want to take the time to read it, here's my take on their take: [B]- Carlson:[/B] [I]"Syracuse head coach George McDonald didn't have much success as the Orange's offensive coordinator. He didn't have much to work with either. McDonald had just one likely NFL Draft pick at his disposal during his two years as an offensive coordinator, a lack of top-shelf talent matched by just 22 of the 66 power-five football programs in the country."[/I] [B]- TheCusian:[/B] We promoted him to head coach?! What the hell?! Obvious mistake aside (he was assistant HC) - we're well aware of the lack of talent. We've been performing poorly even with our lack of talent. He didn't get demoted for a lack of talent - it was for a lack of execution and points. [B]- Carlson: [/B][I]"Still, a lack of NFL talent doesn't doom an offense to mediocrity. Three of those 22 teams have bucked the trend by averaging more than 30 points against peer schools the past two years."[/I] [B]- TheCusian:[/B] Right. So it's the OC or HC or whoever McDonald/Lester is to do something with the talent we have. They've looked unprepared and have had poor execution. That's not dependent on NFL talent. We've underperformed even for our sub-par talent. That's why we have a new OC. [B]- Carlson:[/B] [I]"One of the explosive offenses, Oklahoma State, is led by coordinator Mike Yurcich, an innovative offensive mind who previously served as the offensive coordinator at Shippensburg University. The others, Washington State and Texas Tech, have been influenced led by long-time renegade and Air Raid proponent Mike Leach. While making the scoreboard turn, neither team's offensive proficiency has generated a significant number of wins this year."[/I] [B]- TheCusian:[/B][I][B] [/B][/I]So they are putting up great numbers with great OC's but aren't winning. I have no idea what this has to do with the lead. [B]- Carlson:[/B] [I]"Mississippi State, Mississippi, Georgia Tech and Texas Christian are ranked this season despite a lack of elite offensive talent and middling offensive numbers over the past two years. Those programs, though, are outliers."[/I] [B]- TheCusian: [/B]So you're saying SEC teams Mississippi State and Ole Miss don't have elite offensive talent or NFL players on their rosters? Really? The systems that GTech and TCU run are very different - but can be really effective - but wait for it ... they don't count because they are outliers. Huh? Also - I think we can safely say we are not trying to be ranked or that we have much hope against the elite teams on our schedule this season at this point. You're better than this Carlson. [B]- Carlson:[/B] [I]"Most of the teams on the list with levels of NFL talent similar to Syracuse are struggling programs like Illinois, Colorado, Iowa State, Kentucky and North Carolina State where points are precious and wins are hard to come by. The Orange offense has performed worse than most under McDonald, certainly one of the reasons that head coach Scott Shafer [/I][URL='http://www.syracuse.com/orangefootball/index.ssf/2014/10/syracuse_football_offensive_coordinator_george_mcdonald_demoted_qbs_coach_tim_le.html'][I]pulled his coordinating duties 18 games into his career at SU. [COLOR=rgb(20, 20, 20)]College football is filled with coaches that are good. But unless Lester is as brilliant as Yurcich or as wild as Leach, he likely faces the same issues that contributed to McDonald's struggles."[/COLOR][/I][/URL] [COLOR=#141414][B][I]- [/I]TheCusian: [/B]I'm lost. So we don't have talent so we're doomed no matter what, unless Lester is a brilliant genius or kinda crazy. More in the "file in the obvious things" pile. I don't think we're trying to make the playoffs here. We're looking for improvements in execution, communication, and flow. Things that you can get better at despite not having NFL talent. McDonald got demoted for a lack of execution, communication, flow - and points! - not having less than elite level talent. But go on. Tell us more... [COLOR=#141414][B]- Carlson:[/B] [I]"[/I][/COLOR][/COLOR][I]Along with a roster lacking NFL talent, Lester inherits an injured starting quarterback, two slowed standout wide receivers, a beat-up right tackle and is taking over in the middle of the season, with no time to hit the reset button. There's a good chance Syracuse's offensive issues run deeper than a coordinator who can eliminate mental errors and lapses in focus. There's a good chance that even if Lester is competent, the Orange's problems can't be fixed this season."[/I] TheCusian: Ahh - the lead. The uphill battle that Lester is facing. So unless he's a genius, even cleaning up the stuff that got McDonald canned will leave us in the exact same position. Maybe. Look, it was a nice try but we know all that stuff. The question isn't can we get ranked or beat FSU or Clemson. Lester's job is to try to do that eventually - but let's be honest. We're looking for steady improvement in the "controllables" against peer schools. Schools that are similarly flawed in some way. If Lester can give us that - he'll have done better than McDonald. So let's leave out the comparisons to Ole Miss and focus on beating the BC's of the world. New and better title: [B][SIZE=6]New Syracuse offensive coordinator Tim Lester tries to fix the things that McDonald sucked at so we can win vs other teams with average talent[/SIZE][/B] [COLOR=#141414][COLOR=#141414][URL='http://www.syracuse.com/orangefootball/index.ssf/2014/10/syracuse_football_offensive_coordinator_george_mcdonald_demoted_qbs_coach_tim_le.html'][/URL][/COLOR][/COLOR] [/QUOTE]

Verification: What is a Syracuse fan's favorite color?